One-man tragicomedy effective

The Unfolding of Benjamin’s Misery

Square Edge Arts Centre, February 6-7

Review by Debra Dodunski

Hideto Ambiguous brought his one-man tragicomedy to Palmerston North’s Square Edge Arts Centre last week. This bold and effective theatre project was a unique way to increase awareness and understanding of what undocumented migrants experienced when trying to better their lives. The songs and poetry are original including Everyday Dissident which shed light on some of

Hideto’s own experiences. Hideto had only one prop onstage with him which placed additional pressure to captivate his audience. While flipping between roles he demonstrated how one person’s experience can impact another’s life. One point made during the evening was changing the cause and not the effect, where he spoke about making changes in one’s life instead of complaining about the problems. The audience was left with a different perspective of how people are treated and how sharing their stories can help to alleviate some of their loneliness. This tragicomedy shed some light on harrowing issues that need to be addressed and revealed how globalisation preys on popular progressive ideals such as cultural diversity, equal opportunity and celebration of art.